Israeli forces detain head of NGO office in Gaza

June 22, 2016 7:07 P.M. (Updated: June 23, 2016 10:01 A.M.)

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Humanitarian organization World Vision International said on Wednesday that Israeli forces had detained the head of the organization’s office in the Gaza Strip, Muhammad al-Halabi, as he attempted to return to the besieged enclave via the Erez crossing a week earlier, the group said in a statement.

World Vision International said it was following up on al-Halabi’s detention and was in contact with legal sources and diplomatic officials in order to facilitate his release.

Al-Halabi’s family told Ma’an that they had lost contact with their son on June 15 as he was heading back into the Gaza Strip, adding that they had not received any information regarding his detention since.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma'an that they were looking into the report.